


Seven Days, Seven Tales

by TwinCarcino



Category: Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: Character Death, Disney, F/F, Fluff, Growing Old Together, Human AU, Lapidot Week, Not in a bad way tho, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Royalty AU, Sailing, Siren!lapis, Some implied asexuality, War, poofed gem, some sad but mostly fluff, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-15 12:57:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11231475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwinCarcino/pseuds/TwinCarcino
Summary: A collection of stories for Lapidot Week





	1. Summer Jobs

Lapis Lazuli, the second year in college, going into her third once summer ended, majoring in art with a minor in history. She wasn't the most outgoing person in the world, but she had her circle of friends at Beach City University. One of them was her advisor's son, an energetic middle schooler who visited often. Another was an Amazonian of a woman who spent more time working on her muscles than she did working on her assignments. 

It was the latter of the two who was the reason Lapis was where she was right now. A desk with sketches littering her walls, floors and desk space with pencils and markers everywhere, putting her art skills to good use. Jasper had pulled some strings and had gotten Lapis a pretty well-paying internship in a company in her, Jasper's, hometown of Empire City. While Lapis might not be a big fan of cities, rather enjoyed the small town feel of Beach City and her own home of Ocean Town, Lapis was a fan of good paying jobs. Twelves dollars an hour was hard to say no to. 

Needless to say, Lapis was in debt to Jasper for scoring her this internship.

Her job was to design, poster layouts, flyers, banners, labels. She was placed on the design team of the company and they, well, designed. She supposed the downfall was that she was in a completely different Department than her best friend, she couldn't bum smokes off Jasper on breaks or bug her when she got bored.

However, not all was bad, she rather enjoyed the rest of her team. One member was an older woman, Flourite, who had a grandmotherly feel to her, she often brought in cookies or treats for the team. Another was a lanky guy Lapis age who'd recently dyed his hair pink, Lars if she remembered right, he went to the same university as Lapis and worked at the donut shop during the school year. Ruby and Sapphire were practically joined at the hips, newlyweds, already planning on a baby too. They spent most the day just going over baby names rather than work, their current favorite was Garnet.

Lapis enjoyed her time with them. When they had a lot of work, they worked seamlessly together, when it was an easy day, they were sharing some good laughs and treats. Everyone was an equal in the design team. No one was better than another, and if someone started to get too egotistic, the others would quickly knock that ego back down a few pegs, after all this was a team.

The familiar sound of footsteps, loud and clanky, a telltale limp caught Lapis head, and she looked up in waiting for their final and youngest member To come through the door. A few moments later Peridot pushed in, a large cardboard paper tucked under one arm, an overstuffed art bag around the other shoulder. She smiled and greeted the others as she limped to her work space.

Peridot Diamond, just turned eighteen a month before Lapis started, and the only daughter of the company CEO, Yella Diamond. She was wearing a green T and jeans that cut off below the knees, looking down, Lapis could easily see the metal and plastic that was her left leg. It always surprised her how confidently and proudly Peridot would walk around with the prosthetic showing like it never bothered the high schooler at all. She supposed it had something to do with how much of an ego Peridot had, that not even a fake leg could make her feel embarrassed or ashamed. 

Despite being the youngest, not to mention the daughter of their boss, Peridot got treated like everyone else, and she treated everyone else just as well. She was fun to have around, a ball of sunshine who rarely had a bad day. She focused primarily on digital art but was just as talented as the rest with paper and pens. 

Sometimes Yella would come down and, frankly, it was adorable how embarrassed Peridot would get with how much Yella doted. It was clear the towering and fearsome Diamond loved Peridot more than anything. It honestly kind of scared Lapis at first when she saw the woman acting like… well, a mom.

Flourite had told Lapis that it hadn't always been like that. Up until four years ago, all they did was argue. Yella was a stone cold ruthless bitch who expected blind obedience and Peridot had reached a rebellious age. Then the car accident happened, Yella was fine save for cuts and bruises, but Peridot lost her leg and almost her life. Ever since Yella had done nothing but sure and coddle her daughter. Despite the sad beginnings, Lapis still found it adorable when their usual harsh and cold boss came down to make sure Peridot had lunch and was doing fine. It was a side to her that only the Design team saw. 

But, if Lapis was, to be honest, pretty much everything Peridot did or was involved in was adorable. Just looking at her, she was adorable. The fluffy blonde hair, the glasses that were always crooked, the light skin and bright smile and green eyes that shined like stars.

So, it might not be a bad thing to mention that Lapis had a massive crush on Peridot. 

The girl adorable and Lapis had been smitten since day one. She loved how friendly and cheerful Peridot was, how she always was happy, always ready to please. Lapis however, had a bit of difficulty just to talk to Peridot, she always got so nervous and flustered talking to her crush, she’d clam up, or even stammer some of the dumbest things. Peridot probably saw her as some kind of idiot because of it.

Unfortunately, the summer would be coming to an end in the coming two weeks and Lapis would be going back to Beach City for college. She wouldn’t be seeing Peridot again, not unless she got another summer internship. 

Lapis couldn’t help but sigh as she rested her head against her desk. Just thinking of how her time with Peridot was now limited just made her tired and sad. She didn’t  _ want  _ to go back to college, not without getting to do something with her. Lapis didn’t want to go back to Beach City and regret not spending more time with Peridot, not telling her how she felt. But the problem was,  _ how? _

What if Peridot wasn’t into her, wasn’t into girls. What if dating Peridot put her on Yella Diamonds shit list?

Lapis frowned as dug out her phone, no texts. She glanced over to where Peridot was working at a computer, tablet in her hand, working on some kind of online ad design or something.  Her glasses were down on her nose, her lips quirked up in a concentrating frown as her brows furrowed together. It was freaking cute.

She took a deep breath, pushed herself from her desk. Do it now or she’ll regret it when she went back to school. It felt like all eyes were on her as she made her way from her own desk to where Peridot sat. She swallowed a forming lump in her throat as she approached.

She put her hands on Peridots desk, or rather she slammed them on with far more force than she had intended, startling both Peridot and herself. The blonde looked up, green eyes wide as she stared at her.

“Lapis?” She asked slowly putting down the tablet pen, “Um, was there something I could help you with?”

Lapis felt like everyone’s eyes were on her. Her hands started shaking, holding onto the desk for need. Heat started to crawl up her neck to her face. She took a deep breath to steady herself, “Peridot, would you, um, w-would you,” her words were quickly starting to fail her. Her blush darkened, “Maybe, you and me could, I mean, we c-can…”

This was so much harder than she remembered it being, what the hell?

But Peridot was patient, she tilted her head and watch Lapis curiously, “Are you okay?” she asked, reaching to the intern.

Swallowing hard, Lapis just blurted it out, loudly, “ _ Would you go on a date with me? _ ”

There was a silence in the air, not just between Peridot and Lapis, but in the entire design team. If they hadn’t been before, everyone was certainly staring at her now. Lapis felt her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at Peridot, watching as those pale cheeks turned bright red, mouth open in surprise. No one said anything for a minute, then two, Lapis felt her embarrassment get worse and worse.

She quickly turned on her heel, “Sorry, sorry, forget I said anything!” she wasted no time booking it out of the room as fast as she could before anyone could say anything. It was as good a time as any to take her hour lunch and to just hide from everyone for an entire hour. 

 

When she came back, no one said anything. She avoided eye contact with Peridot at all cost. The rest of the day went by slowly and was over after what felt like an eternity. 

Flourite shuffled out, humming a sweet tune. Lars grumbled something that could have passed as a ‘bye’ as he passed by Lapis on his way out. Ruby and Sapphire giggled and flirted, as usual, arm in arm. Peridot packed up her art bag and passed Lapis on her way out the door. When she did so, a piece of paper fell onto Lapis’ desk.

The bluenette was going to call out to Peridot in case the paper was important or would have if she wasn’t still dead from embarrassment, Waiting until Peridot was out of the room, she picked up the paper and looked it over. It was folded into a nice square, clearly taken out of one of Peridot’s sketchbooks.

Her breath caught in her throat. There was a single word inked onto it with an art pen.

_ Yes _

Feeling her heart racing, she opened up the paper and found a series of numbers on the inside. A wordless request for her to call. 

A smile found its way to Lapis face as she took out her phone, dialing as she hoisted her own bag over her shoulder. It rang once, then twice, then…

“Hello?”

Lapis couldn’t stop smiling as she walked down the hall and out the entrance to the building, “Peridot, it’s Lapis,” she greeted, “There’s an art exhibit this Saturday. Would you like to go with me?”

 


	2. War

Peridot ran through the street. The air was filled with a thick haze of smoke and dirt, and the sounds of screaming, gunshots, and explosions never ceased. Peridot ran. The street was practically torn to shreds from the number of bombs it’d been hit with, from grenades to tank fire. All around her, cars were upturned, buildings were crumbling. With the sheer destruction and death around her, it was hard to imagine that this war zone had once been the bustling city of New York.

She ignored the scent of death that entered her nose as she took in a deep breath, her lungs burning from the constant running, scrambling over fallen overpasses or tattered cars. Her legs hurt, scrapes and cuts littered her body, ragged and injured from the fighting. But determination filled her to her core.

Determination to find _her_.

Ducking behind one of the large post office mail boxes, Peridot scanned her surroundings to ensure there weren't any enemies lurking around. She didn’t see anyone and quickly dashed to her next hiding spot. So far the main battle had moved north, opposite of the direction she was heading in. Mostly the enemy soldiers she found were just stragglers lagging behind, she shot them quickly and those she didn’t kill, she could avoid easily enough.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Peridot dived into an alleyway as she cut across the street. She was following an invisible path laid out over what Lapis had told her on the radio. Following the same route, Lapis had told her she was taking. She said she had cut through an alley at the Big Donut shop to avoid gunfire.

Peridot didn’t see any blood on the ground, so she hoped that was a good sign.

"Lapis? Lapis, are you here?" she couldn't help but yell out as she reached the end of the alley and onto another street. Her gun was at the ready, but she didn't get any responses from a friendly or a foe. Just the faraway noises of bullets flying and grenades going off.

Needless to say, the blonde soldier was growing increasingly worried and afraid.

"Lapis, please, where are you?" she yelled, dashing through the streets, tripping once or twice over the debris and corpses that littered the ground. Her gear felt heavy on her back and her body tired, but she pushed on. Determined... _desperate_ to find Lapis.

 

It must have been an hour, maybe two. The gunfire never ceased, Peridot had shot and killed numerous enemies in her search, had gotten a few new injuries herself. Yet, she had yet to lose hope in finding Lapis. After all, Lapis was so much stronger than Peridot was, stronger than the blonde would ever be. If Peridot had lasted this long, Lapis was no doubt even better than she was at the moment.

She hobbled, limping at this point as blood ran down her right leg from a deep gash. Every step hurt, took the breath from her lungs and forced her to whimper and hiss. But she kept moving. Even though she faltered at an increasing rate, stumbled more and more, her vision blurred, Peridot kept moving. She wasn’t going to stop no matter how hurt she was because she knew Lapis would do the same for her.

Peridot was almost completely out of ammo, resorting to her handgun now that her rifle was empty. Soon she’d be unable to use the smaller gun. At least she still had her knife, but she doubted she had the physical strength at the moment to fight someone in hand to hand combat.

A grenade went off at her right. Pieces of metal, concrete and dirt went into the air and Peridot fell to her knees from the force. Though she was unhurt, her ears were ringing.

_“Is anyone there? Hello? Can anyone hear me?”_

It took Peridot a minute, maybe two before she realized her radio was going off. Another before the _voice_ processed in her mind. She scrambled to yank the device out from its pouch on her bag, hastily working so she could reply.

“Hello? Hello! This is Peridot! Lapis, where are you?”

She couldn’t keep the desperate plea out of her voice as she practically screamed into the radio. Her heart beating so fast she could hear it in her ears, a rapid drumming to the beat of fear and anxiety.

There was a pause, a lingering silence that made her even more terrified of what could have happened. Then, a crackling. A voice.

“Peridot? Oh, thank God, you’re okay,” Lapis’ voice was flooded with relief and it made Peridot’s heart swell. “I was so scared I’d lost you, I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Forget about me!” Peridot screamed as more grenades started going off. The enemy was approaching and out for blood. She made a mad dash to find cover, finding herself crawling under an upturned car. It was a struggle to move. Her leg was in terrible condition, it hurt, it hurt so much. “What about you? Are you okay? Where are you?”

She was given a laugh in response to her questions. One that she recognized well. It was bitter, self-mocking, a surrender.

“Forget about me, worry about saving yourself,” Lapis told her.

Peridot could feel her heart dropping, “What? No! Never!” she yelled as she cradled the radio close, “Lapis, tell me where you are, I’m going to get you!” She wasn’t going to just leave Lapis and save herself. How could Lapis even ask her to do something like that? She wouldn’t, couldn’t. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she just abandoned Lapis for her own survival, even if Lapis had told her to.

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you to,” Lapis snapped, “You’re going to find someplace safe. Regroup with the others, get patched up and forget about me!” It was clear that Peridot wouldn’t be able to get Lapis to tell her where she was, and without that information, there was no way Peridot could find Lapis.

“You can’t ask this of me, please,” she whispered, pleaded. Tears were running down her face.

She heard something that could have passed for a sob through the radio, “I’m sorry, Peridot,” Lapis answered through the crackling, “I’m so, so, sorry. If there was any other way, but, I can’t let you die trying to find me. Just, please, live on for us both.”

The radio went silent, Lapis’ way of ending the conversation before Peridot could beg her to reconsider. The blonde laid under the car unmoving. A whimper escaping her as she brought an arm up to cover her face. Rubbing furiously at the tears staining her dirt clad face. She wasn’t going to see Lapis ever again, was she? Just the thought of it hurt more than anything she’d ever felt before in her life.

She crawled out from under the car, her entire leg burning with pain but she did her best to ignore it.

Peridot grabbed her gear, pulling out her handgun as she checked the ammo. A few bullets left in it, not a lot. She needed to find more ammo soon or she might not last long herself. Green eyes narrowed as she reloaded her gun, she didn’t care if she had to turn this entire city upside down. She was going to find Lapis.

“You clod,” Peridot growled as she pushed herself onto her feet. Coursing through her were waves of anger and desperation, “I’m going to find you, I’m dragging you back home if I have to.”

All thoughts halted as she heard a click from behind her.

“Well,” a raspy voice responded, “Afraid you’re going to have to take a raincheck on that plan.”

Peridot whirled around, but she was too slow. A single gunshot rang out as the blonde toppled over. Before her vision went dark completely, she saw a pair of bright amber eyes and bleached white hair standing before her.

 

Seconds later, in bright red, _GAME OVER_ covered her screen. Peridot let out a cry of frustration, almost throwing her controller at the TV in her rage as she threw herself backward. Sprawling across the couch angrily.

“You, you stupid, clodding _clod_!” her vocabulary was failing and she wasn’t the most articulate at the moment. It just had to be right then when she got killed? Not fair!

Laughter rang through her headset, a familiar snort and giggle, “Don’t tell me, you just got killed,” her girlfriend said over the voice chat, still laughing. Peridot could hear gunshots too over the headset, indicating that Lapis was still in the game and still alive.

“To _Jasper_ of all people!” Peridot complained loudly, “How did she even get the drop on me? She doesn’t even _play_ these warfare games, she shouldn’t have survived this long!”

“Hey, maybe she’s a natural,” Lapis offered.

To that, Peridot answered with an angry groan as she rolled over and pressed her face against a pillow. She had it all planned out, too. She would raid a few bodies, get ammunition and hunt down her stranded girlfriend in the destroyed New York. Then Jasper had to come in and ruin it by killing her like the big dumb clod she was!

“Let me guess, you’re being a baby over dying,” Lapis teased, “Maybe you ought to go to bed then, you’ll be less cranky in the morning. Isn’t it way past your bedtime anyways, what is it, two AM?”

Peridot lifted her head to roll her eyes, even if Lapis couldn’t see the action. “Beach City and Ocean Town are in the same time zone, you clod. It’s only eight.” She didn’t really see a point in rejoining the game, she’d have to wait until the match was over before she could anyways, and who knew how long that would take.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lapis answered, “I’m thinking of coming down to to your town tomorrow to hang with my favorite shorty, I’ll probably be there around noon.”

A smile found its way to Peridots face at the idea of Lapis coming to Beach City, and she felt some of her annoyance over losing fade away, “Really? Can’t wait to see you, I’ll make lunch for when you get here!”

Lapis laughed, “Hey, who the hell said I was talking about _you_?”

Just like that, the smile fell and Peridot rolled her eyes yet again, “Well, I see how that is. Then I’ll just lock my door and not share my food.”

“Hey now! No need to go that far! You know I was just kidding! You’re my one and only, my favorite shorty that’s ever shortied.”

“Now I feel like you’re poking fun at my height!”

Lapis burst out laughing yet again, and Peridot laughed a little two, smiling again and she reclined on the couch. She honestly was glad her girlfriend would be coming down to visit tomorrow. She hated that they lived in different towns and couldn’t see each other face to face as often as they would like. The drive between their towns was two hours, but neither of them had cars and the bus could get pricey if they went too often.

They cherished every moment they got to spend together in person because it might be a few weeks before they got to again. That didn’t stop them from making frequent video calls and Skype chats, and playing games together until the dead of night.

Speaking of.

“Lapis, where the hell are you anyways?” Peridot asked, realizing she never did get the location of where Lapis’ character was in the game before dying.

She was given an ‘eh’ before an actual response. “Apartment complexes downtown. I’ve been hunting and killing off the Ruby sisters and Aquamarine. Safe to say I’ve been whining. Just got to find Navy, once I’ve killed her, I’ll be so happy.”

Peridot frowned as she mapped out the city in her head, then felt something close to annoyance fill her as she found the distance between her and Lapis, “...I was three blocks away.”

“Oh well. Too late now.”

 


	3. Disney Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A late submission for Day 3, loosely based upon Frozen. Day 4 will be up later.

There were several things that over the past few weeks that Peridot had become painfully aware of.

The first was that magic did, in fact, exist.

The second was that she did not have the patience to be someone’s ‘guide’ through the turbulent ocean waves. Waves that, she should add, they shouldn’t have even been at for another _several miles._ Somehow, through magic in the aforementioned point, the ocean had expanded drastically. Thankfully it was mostly valleys and mountains that it submerged rather than cities and villages. Stroke of luck, even if it pissed off the sailor.  

The third? Royals were nothing but pains in the ass, especially magic wielding blue haired princesses who kept demanding that Peridot take her as far away from people as the ocean would allow.

Peridot should mention that it was also the princess’ fault for the sudden ocean expansion as well. Apparently, from what she could get out from the royal, the girl threw some kind of tantrum when she met her betrothed, a soldier of Queen Yellow’s kingdom, and her magic had some kind of lashing out. Now, she was running away from home, responsibilities, and a meathead of a fiancé.

Not that Peridot really cared. So long as this Lapis Lazuli water witch paid up when this voyage was over.

Peridot hadn’t even _wanted_ to do this. She was just a simple navigator and craftsman. She built small, easy to manage boats for small crews, occasionally she joined merchants on their expeditions if the gold was good enough to be their navigator. She liked to consider herself one of the best navigators in all of the four kingdoms. When the flood came, well, of course the blonde had been surprised.

All Peridot had done was be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She went to a traders, intending to resupply before taking to the seas. She _may_ have gotten into a small argument with the trader over the cost of the supplies she was getting. What could she say, the man had upped his prices to a ridiculous amount after the flood, she got mad, said that he should show respect for one of the kingdoms best sailors, then got kicked out.

Well, technically she was thrown out. Literally. But that was a trivial detail she liked to ignore.

She’d been ready to just give up, head back to her boat with her trusty companion, Pumpkin, when out of the blue came a woman dressed in blue. She threw a sack at Peridot which held her supplies and some more, demanded that Peridot take her across the ocean. Even when Peridot said no, the woman followed her until Peridot gave up and, though she gave the woman a high price for the voyage… imagine her surprise when the woman said she’d pay double.

As much as Peridot may not have been looking forward to taking some woman across the ocean, she couldn’t say no to gold. Besides, Pumpkin had taken a liking to Lapis almost immediately. She’d be lying if she didn’t say it was kind of cute how he’d just curl up beside the woman and sleep.

She eyed the woman, who she had only learned was Queen Blue’s second born daughter after they were already a day at sea. Lapis was leaning over the edge of the boat, staring at the water intently as she brought up a thin tendril to the boats railings. The woman really was something when it came to water.

“So… magic,” Peridot hummed as she glanced back to the stern of the boat. So far they hadn’t any destination in mind just yet, Lapis just said ‘away from the kingdoms’ and, well, they were sailing away from them, “Born with it? Cursed?”

Lapis looked up at her, “Born with it, I think,” she said and looked back to the ocean, “I’ve had this power for as long as I could remember. Unless I got cursed as a baby… I don’t really know how,” she admitted as she let the water fall back to the ocean, leaning against the railing. It was clear that it was taxing to control the water as she did. Beads of sweat were appearing on her forehead. It was amazing that she’d managed to cause such a massive flood of the kingdom when she could barely even keep the ocean calm for more than a few minutes without her legs buckling under her from the exhaustion.

Peridot had half a mind to tell her to take it easy, but didn’t. One of the things she learned was that Lapis didn’t appreciate people do anything that could imply she couldn’t handle something. She’d been snapped at to ‘mind her own business’ when Lapis had nearly collapsed the first day when trying to manipulate the currents in their favor. The woman had more bite to her than a hungry wolf.

Instead, the short blonde shrugged, “We’ve made some good distance,” she said offhandedly, pulling out a compass from where she kept it hung around her neck. They were heading northeast. There was a small island they would be stopping at to resupply since Peridot hadn’t had the time to properly supply her ship for two before being commissioned for this job. They’d reach it by nightfall if the ocean kept like this. She couldn’t help but glance back at Lapis who had now sat down, petting the ginger dog affectionately, “You really sure about this?”

Lapis glanced at her, “What do you mean?”

She could feel the hard look in her eyes even without looking, knowing this was a landmine she was stepping into. She swallowed and kept looking out to the ocean as she steered the ship. “I mean, are you sure about your isolation plan? It’s going to be pretty lonely, don’t you think?”

“I’ll only put others at risk if I go back to the kingdom, or find myself in a city,” Lapis responded quickly, almost robotically, “If I lose my cool, get upset, the ocean will lash out at people.”

“Still, I can’t imagine being lonely will be any better,” she knew from experience how bad isolation can hurt you. She looked up ahead, then dared to look back at Lapis. “We’ll be stopping at an island tonight, it doesn’t have too many people living on it, plenty of space for you to keep from others,” and enough people she could go to if she found herself in need of help. The group that lived there were a friendly bunch. Rose Quartz, the town mayor of the port they would dock at, Beach City was such a softie.

“I see,” was all Lapis said in response.

Peridot frowned at the disinterest in Lapis’ tone.

If she dropped Lapis off there, Rose would be more than happy to keep her company, she knew none of the islanders would mind too much if Lapis had powers. They were, for some reason Peridot couldn’t fathom, all about embracing what made them different. If she didn’t find herself comfortable with the ‘Crystal Gems’, a name Beach City’s self-proclaimed defenders gave themselves, maybe she’d fit in with the other group of islanders, the ‘Off Colors’. Yet again another odd name the group gave themselves.

She couldn’t help but not feel right about it, regardless of the choice.

“You know,” she said out loud, looking back to Lapis, “you don’t _have_ to go to some desolate island to stay away from everyone.”

She was given a dry laugh, “Would it be better if I go live atop a mountain with a castle of ice to stay away from everyone?” Lapis asked sarcastically.

Well, it was quite the mental image, she could easily imagine Lapis conjuring up a palace of ice while screaming bloody murder at the whole world to stay the fuck away from her. “As nice of an idea as that probably is, no,” Peridot shook her head, “I mean, well, you could stay here. On this boat… with me?”

There were several things over the past several weeks that Peridot had become aware of during her voyage with the runaway princess, Lapis Lazuli of the Blue Kingdom.

When Lapis was happy, her eyes would light up like the starry night sky, shining brightly with pure joy, and was a thousand times more beautiful than the dark sky dusted with bright stars and a glowing moon.

Her laugh, and that snort she let out, was precious in more ways than Peridot could describe. She found her days becoming brighter and warmer whenever she heard Lapis laughing, knowing the blue haired woman was enjoying herself so much.

That Peridot had, uncontrollably, without a doubt, fallen in love with the water manipulating princess who had barged into her life. That Peridot wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the princess when their voyage came to its end.

Silence enveloped the ship. The only sound to be heard was the waves lapping against the ships sides and the wind against the sail. Peridot couldn’t help but feel as though she had stepped out of line.

Of course she’d stepped out of line! Who was she kidding, to think that Lapis would even be interested in staying with her on a ship! She was a royal, for crying out loud! Why would she want the life of a sailor when she would be much happier on land where the ground was firm and steady beneath her feet and she always had a roof over her head to protect her from the storms.

She was a clod! A clod! A clod! She should have kept her mouth shut, she shouldn’t have offered. She should have just—

“I can really stay?”

The voice was so small, clear with surprise and… hope.

Peridots train of thoughts came to a screeching halt and she slowly turned to face the princess who was staring at her with eyes wide in disbelief. She felt nerves bubble up inside her and she weakly nodded. “Yeah, if you want, I mean. If you wanted to stay, I’d gladly welcome you.”

Lapis looked down at Pumpkin who stayed snoozing in her lap, and then back up at Peridot. “I’d, I’d really like to. I like it here, with you.”

The two didn’t say anything else, faces both burning as they avoided looking at each other. They’d said what they needed, and left more unspoken. But, the message not said was there, and maybe with time they’d say to each other those three magic words. Confess to what had developed between them during the several weeks at sea together.

But, for now, those words did not need to be spoken for them to be happy.


	4. Free Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short chapter for this one.

“Come on, Percy,” Lapis muttered from the bed of the truck, legs tucked in under her chin as she rewatched an episode of _Camp Pining Hearts_. The gem couldn’t help but scoff in irritation as Percy pleaded with his ‘friend that was a girl’, Paulette. “Just make a new friendship bracelet and get over it. Really, you’re just being obnoxious with all that crying.”

Generally, this would be the moment her companion would agree, adding in some other backhanded commentary about the apparent dependency Percy had developed on Paulette and why it was just unneeded on so many levels. There would be some long tirade about how Percy was better off without Paulette, how he should just go to Pierre already and save them all the misery and suffering of having to deal with his train-wreck of a relationship with Paulette.

But, Peridot said nothing from her spot beside Lapis. The blue gem didn’t expect much, but it still twisted something painful inside her heart at the silence.

She turned back to the television, smiling, though it was fake and forced. “Oh, hey look, Peridot. It’s your favorite part of the episode, Pierre’s cheering Percy up after the Paulette fiasco,” she said, watching as their favorite pair had a heartfelt talk.

Still, there was no response.

Lapis bit her lip as she curled up tighter, making herself smaller against the bed of the truck. It…wasn’t fun watching _Camp Pining Hearts_ when she didn’t have Peridot giving snarky commentary beside her. It just, it wasn’t the same when only Lapis was talking. She couldn’t enjoy her favorite show without Peridot now, how silly was that.

It wasn’t just watching the show that had lost its spark with the silence of the green gem. Everything around the barn became dull, like it’s only source of light and joy had left. Which, in a way, was rather accurate as far as Lapis was concerned. She _missed_ Peridot. Her excitable nature, her prideful boasting, her smile, her laugh. She just, she missed Peridot so much.

The blue gem looked beside her. The folded blanket that nestled the green gemstone atop.

“Peridot, just… come back already, please?”

 


	5. Monster AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted this on mobile, but I'll tidy it up when I get on my laptop if the format winds up a bit different from usual.

The villagers said that on the other side of the great lake resided a castle. A castle old as can be, made of cold stone and steel that rested on the water’s edge. No one dared approach the castle, no one dared cross the massive lake to reach the other side, let alone go on the lakes water at all. The villagers say that the lake and castle were cursed. A monster, they say. A monster that was born from the union of a devil and a sea nymph, they say she resides in the castle and kills those who go into the lake. They say she drowns the humans who come near and eat their flesh and suck the marrow from their bones.

They say that she’s ugly. Tall, covered in slimy blue scales, seaweed for her hair, that she has fangs many time too big for her own mouth and horrid pitch black eyes. They say her entire form is gnarled and crooked, that her very voice can make one’s ears bleed.

No one’s dared to go to the castle, and those that did have never returned.

Peridot couldn’t help but swallow the nervous lump that had formed in her throat as she thought over all that the villagers had told her when she had arrived. They had warned her to stay away, that if she tried to approach the lake and the castle that she would surely die.

Well, Peridot was bound to die regardless if she didn’t go near the castle. Her princess, Limone, had demanded that Peridot go to the accursed castle and retrieve its greatest treasure. No one really knew what the treasure was, it changed with the rumors. But, supposedly the beast guarded a treasure beyond the imagination of mere humans. Her princess wanted it, and if Peridot didn’t return to the Yellow Kingdom with the treasure, she’d be executed.

The blonde swallowed again at the thought, a hand coming up to her throat. No, she needed to not think about that. She shook her head as she steered the small rowboat across the lake. It was the quickest way to the castle as opposed to the several day trek around the lake in forests swarming with wolves.

But, the lake was certainly living up to its claims of being massive. Peridot had already been rowing for hours, the village she’d departed at no longer in sight. She couldn’t see any shore at all, only water as far as the eye could see.

The wind was picking up and the massive lakes waves were growing mean. She shivered against the cold as water splashed up into her boat. She had to keep going, her very life was on the line. The rowboat creaked and rocked dangerously as the waves continued their assault. Peridot felt her fear growing as it became harder and harder to keep the small boat moving forward. It was as though the lake itself didn’t want her to continue her journey to the castle. Maybe the villagers were right about the lake being cursed.

As though confirming that idea, a massive wave knocks the boat over, throwing Peridot into the water. The blonde struggles under the rather pissed waves, but continues to sink. For a moment, before her vision blacked out, she swore she saw a woman with blue hair dive down to her.

   
The first thing Peridot was aware of when she started to come too was the heavy weight wrapped around her. Then she took notice of the crackling sound in front of her and the heat that enveloped the blonde from head to toe. Her eyes were heavy but she managed to force them open. To her surprise, she wasn’t dead or washed up in a beach. She was curled up in a large leather chair, her soaked clothing replaced by a cotton sleeping gown and a thick blanket wrapped around her as she was situated in front of a crackling fire. Peridot shifted, her limbs felt like iron rods, but she managed to push the blanket off her.

Try as she might, Peridot couldn’t remember anything after her boat flipped. She hadn’t any idea how she got here. Or, for that matter, where ‘here’ was. Maybe someone else on the water saw and rescued her, and they, being a kind person, brought Peridot home with them. Maybe one of the villagers.

Impossible.

The villagers wouldn’t touch the lake if they didn’t have too. They were terrified of it. But, if not one of the villagers, than who?

Peridots train of thought came to a screeching halt as her body spawned and she let out a series of rather loud sneezes. Looks like she still managed to catch a small cold.

The sound of something clattering to the floor behind her nearly scared Peridot half to death. She jumped out of her chair with a startled cry and nearly hit the ground when her legs almost gave out. Behind her was a tall, beautiful woman with shimmering blue hair. At her bare feet was an empty silver platter. She looked just as startled as Peridot, watching her with wide blue eyes.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before the woman cleared her thrust and picked up the fallen platter. “You really shouldn’t be up right now. You’re sick and you need rest.” It was a gentle, worried scolding, but she didn’t draw any closer to Peridot.

The blonde step back down, but kept her eyes on the woman. She could have swore she’d seen this woman before. As that thought crossed, the memory or rather, the image of what she had seen when she had almost drowned in the lake flashed across my mind. “Did... are you the one who saved me?” she asked.

She was answered with small grin and a little chuckle. “I’m surprised you remember that.”

“I just remember your face is all.”

“Better than nothing,” as she said that, her savior approached her. Stepping into the light of the fire as she placed a hand over Peridots forehead. It was at this moment that Peridot could see the details that had before been obscured by the shadows of the room.

Gills. Three in either side of her neck, shining, shimmering pale blue scales covered her skin, almost transparent and showing off the layer of tanned skin under them. Her hands were slightly webbed, thin membrane between the fingers. Peridot prided herself on not screaming, but she couldn’t help but stare. Her savior noticed and gave a bitter laugh.

“What? Never seen a siren before?” She asked her, lightly flicking Peridot on the brow, “its rude to stare, you know.”

Peridot quickly shook her head, “I- sorry I just,” she cut herself off as her eyes widened in fear, “Oh my stars you’re the monster the villagers talked about!”

By the darkened expression Lapis took on, Peridot knew she said the wrong thing. The siren pulled back and stepped away with a scowl, “monster, huh? Real nice thing to call your savior,” she spat. More hurt than angry.

She looked nothing like what the villagers had described, and, she acted as human as Peridot. With that in mind, the blonde couldn’t help but feel guilty as she looked away, “sorry, I, I didn’t mean it. Was just caught off guard,” she apologized, “but, thank you for rescuing me.”

The woman’s expression softened and her defensive stance relaxed, “well, what was I supposed to do, let you drown?” She asked, as though the answer were obvious. “You probably caught a cold, i don’t know much about human health, but I think it would be best if you stayed and rested a while.”

It was funny, a woman who was supposedly a man eating devil spawn, a monster that terrorized countless, was showing more concern than anyone back home. It was enough to make Peridot laugh.

“Thanks, if you don’t mind it, is like to stay here until I’m better,” she said. Limone could suck it, Peridot wasn’t going to steal the treasure of someone who’d saved her life. “My name is Peridot.”

The siren smiled a little, “Lapis.”

Peridot stayed until she got better, and remained living with Lapis even after. She enjoyed the company of the blue haired woman and was sure the feeling was well reciprocated. She could only imagine how lonely Lapis must have been, living here all alone with everyone afraid of her.

The villagers we’re wrong, though. Lapis wasn’t a monster.


	6. Shooting Star / Wishes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't all that satisfied with the results of this one, but, I'm posting it anyways.

Peridot wasn’t lonely. At least, that’s what she would tell anyone who asked her. She was perfectly content with how her life was as she attended Beach City University. Sure, her number of friends could be counted on one hand, and she didn’t exactly hang out with or talk to them on a daily… or weekly… basis. But, Peridot was not lonely!

Okay… maybe just a little.

Sighing, Peridot rested back against the grass, sprawled against it as the cool night air nipped at her nose. The stars above sparkled above. Across the sky a white star flashed by and Peridot closed her eyes. Wishing in her mind for a friend she could be at ease around and truly consider a friend.

“What a worthless thing to do,” Peridot muttered as she opened her eyes again. “Wish on a shooting start? That’s pointless, you won’t get anything out of it,” the blonde chided herself. Sitting up, she tilted her head back to continue watching the stars. Wishing on stars was childish, scientifically proven wrong and just, well, dumb.

Another sigh escaped the blonde as she shook her head. As she looked back up, her brows knitted together in confusion. Another... shooting star? That was unexpected. She got to her feet and her expression of confusion deepened as she began to notice something else.

“Is that star... screaming?” Peridot asked out loud.

It wasn’t just screaming, it was plummeting down to the earth, more specifically, to the open field that Peridot had been hanging at. It crashed loudly into the ground, bringing up dirt and dust clouds in it’s wake. Thankfully, several yards away from Peridot so the blonde remained unharmed.

It was curiosity more than anything that drove Peridot to scramble over to the crash site. It must have been a satellite or something that had crashed down. But, pieces of space debris don’t scream. No, it wasn’t screaming, it was just the whistling of metal through the air that made her think that it was screaming. Nothing more. She was just going to the big crater it left and she’d see she was right by the metal pieces that would undoubtedly be on the ground.

“Owwww!” 

Metal from space does not talk.

Peridot stumbled to a halt, eyes wide as a blue woman shakily pushed herself to stand. One hand against her head, the other at her side. She had dirt all over her from her crash, her blue dress torn and ripped from the damage she must have taken. But, over all there wasn’t much more than bumps and bruises on her as far as injuries went.

It took Peridot a moment for the dots to connect and for it to hit her that this was a blue alien that just fell to the earth.

The woman must have noticed Peridot standing there because she looked up at her, “Oh, hey,” she said slowly, wincing as she drew a hand away from her head, “Sorry to bother, but you don’t happen to have any water near by, do you?”

She didn’t get an answer because Peridot promptly passed out from shock at being spoken to.


	7. Past/Present/Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who read through the entire series, despite how badly I was at keeping up with the schedule. I really appreciate everyone for reading this.

The number of kisses the two had shared could be counted one hand, and that was okay.

 

From the start, from when she had first set her eyes on her, there had been something about her that Lapis wanted to know. She was beautiful. She was absolutely, breathtakingly _beautiful_. Lapis saw her for the first time at lunch on the first day of school. She had been sitting with her own group of friends, a diverse group calling themselves the ‘Crystal Gems’ as Lapis herself lurked at a table in the corner with her friend Jasper. She, a short woman with untamable, fluffy blonde hair, would nod or shake her head and giggle at what her friends said. When she spoke, she was loud and full of gestures and movement, as though she put everything she had behind her words.

Lapis watched her the whole time. She watched her for weeks after that.

Eventually, with prodding and encouragement from Jasper, Lapis came to the table, to her. She greeted Lapis and smiled, asked if she wanted to join them, it was clear that the others at the table were willing and welcoming of a stranger in their midst.

Lapis returned her greeting with a small smile, shaking her head at the offer. Instead, she held out a piece of paper with her number on it, the blonde took it and, though her cheeks had become pink from the gesture, stammered a string of incoherent words in her flustered state. Lapis smiled, she was so cute, and turned on her heels to walk away without any explanation to her actions.

That night, she called. Lapis hadn’t expected her to but was immensely happy that she had. They spoke, held a conversation for the first time. Lapis found herself quite enjoying the humor this girl had. They talked and agreed to meet up for breakfast that weekend at a local diner called _The Barn._

When Lapis had come that morning at eight AM, she saw that the other was already there. Sitting at a booth by the window. As soon as those green eyes locked onto Lapis’ own blue ones, she practically jumped from her seat, waving Lapis down and drawing far too much attention to herself in her excited and loud mannerism. It was adorable. Lapis could feel something warm erupting inside her chest and spreading across her whole body.

She took a seat across from her, they got some coffee. Lapis had hers black. She dumped enough sugar and cream into hers to kill a horse. Lapis learned she didn’t like bitter flavors, but she enjoyed caffeine quite a lot. While Lapis herself wasn’t much of a coffee person and stirred her cup quietly, not drinking it, but finding the warmth of the cup in her hand and the smell of the brew to be soothing.

They talked. Lapis found out she hadn’t ever really found out what her name was until then. She learned that it was Peridot.

She was into computers and gaming, was skilled at programming and wanted to work on making video games once she was out of school. She worked part-time at her mother’s shop repairing computers and laptops. Lapis told her how she worked part-time as a lifeguard at the beach during the summer months, that her own passions lied with painting, swimming, and flying.

They were opposites. Peridot lived by rules and order. Lapis thrived with freedom and disarray. Lapis was hard, Peridot was soft. In appearances. On the inside, Lapis was soft and Peridot was hard. Lapis would easily bend to her will without complaint, and Peridot would do the same when the tables were turned.

For rest of high school, the two had a light, almost innocent relationship. They never did much together in terms of physicality besides hand holding, hugs and cuddling up against each other on the couch as they watched movies and TV. To an outsider’s perspective, it was hard to grasp that they were dating at all because of the lack of physical intimacy between the two. Neither was comfortable with that kind of intimacy; it just wasn’t exactly their cup of tea and both girls were perfectly content without it.

For their entire high school relationship, they never once kissed.

Their first kiss was on graduation day. They threw their caps on the football field outside the school, everyone was cheering and everyone was happy that they were finally done with high school.

Lapis saw Peridot through the mass of students between them. Peridots eyes locked onto Lapis’ shortly after and they moved towards each other. Pushing past students, friends, and family, meeting each other in the middle. Lapis’ arms were around her waist as soon as she was close enough, and Peridot’s were around her shoulders. Their lips met for the first time in the three years of being together. They were in love.

 

The summer came, they were busy with work but still held time to be with each other. They were in each other's presence more often than not. Lapis would hang out in Peridot's room, hold the blonde in her lap as she gamed, watching with silent interest. Peridot would come with Lapis to the beach, bring her water during her lifeguard shifts or just go in the water with her. Lapis got Peridot to pose for her paintings, got Peridot to help her out with abstract works such as using the body as a canvas. Peridot got Lapis to join her in her video games, going on co-op games and digital adventures with her.

Summer came. Summer passed. Peridot moved on to college while Lapis began to seriously pursue art. Putting her paintings on local art shows and selling them.  When Peridot began attending Empire City University, Lapis moved out to the city to follow her. They never said anything about it, but neither could stand being apart for so long. They didn't want their only contact with each other for months being over the phone and through Skype calls.  

Lapis got an apartment close to the campus. Because of university regulations, Peridot had to wait until her second year before she could officially move in with Lapis. Not that through the entire first year she didn't spend more time at Lapis' apartment than she did in her own dorm. Lapis did all she could to encourage Peridot in her studies, helping her make it through the stressful all-nighters and review sessions. In return, Peridot supported her in Lapis' pursuit of art, often coming home with new paints or brushes for Lapis as surprise gifts.

Years passed and Lapis still remembered that day fondly, the day they graduated high school and the day they shared their first kiss. She still loved Peridot, loved her more and more with each passing day. More than words could ever hope to describe. They didn’t need to kiss every chance they had in order to convey to each other that they were madly in love. The love they had was shown through the simple, but meaningful words they gave each other, the looks that were shared and the gentle, innocent touches. They didn’t need to kiss to prove the love between them existed. _They_ knew it existed. That was all that mattered.

 

Peridot graduated from college. She managed to get a job working with computers and programs,  she could work at home and set up her own hours so long as she got each job done in time and didn't disappoint her clients. She never disappointed. She always went above and beyond. She still strove to work for video games, but it was a step in the right direction. Lapis continued to paint and was getting more buyers for her paintings every year. Her technique improved with each painting, her art more complex, more breathtaking. One time, Peridot nearly cried seeing a work of Lapis. She said the emotions in the painting were powerful enough to shed tears over.

They made friends in their town, maintained contact with a few of their friends from school. Lapis lost contact with Jasper over the years. Peridots chats with her group from high school became less and less frequent. But it was fine. Life was about making and losing friends. Besides, they had each other. They would always have each other.

When they were twenty-six, Lapis proposed. Peridot accepted. There were tears shed, laughter shared, they held onto one another the entire night, not daring to let go lest the dream shatter and reality return. They shared a kiss under the blanket of the starry night sky.

 

Peridot’s mother insisted on paying a large portion of the wedding, even paying for their dresses. The engagement lasted for almost a year, they spent the time finding the perfect location, the perfect theme, and design. The perfect everything. There wasn't a rush and the engagement could have lasted much longer if outside forces hadn't kept them moving. Peridot's friends and sister were her bridesmaids, Lapis got her cousins who she had been close to be hers, as well as some friends from the art community. They managed to find a priest who was very open and willing to marry them, a kind woman with pink hair.

They settled for a wedding outside on the beach, Lapis always wanted to get married by the ocean and Peridot was happy to oblige.

They were married, the day was beautiful and everything had gone right. As they stared into each other’s eyes, the love between them as strong as ever, they shared a kiss when they were cued to do so. Sparks danced between them and warmth was shared as Lapis butted her head against Peridot’s who giggled, nuzzling against her and entwining their ringed hands together. They loved each other, they loved each other so much that the entire world could not be heard over the sound of their love.

 

Years rolled by. The two moved out of the city. They bought a barn and some farm land and started a life up there. It was peaceful, quiet, away from the noise of the city and offered them a privacy to be who they were together. Lapis let her hair go back to it's natural brown. Peridot liked the color. Their friends grew up, got married and had children of their own. They would ask when Lapis and Peridot would have a child, too. But, Lapis and Peridot were content with each other. They got a dog named Pumpkin, that was their child. Occasionally they would watch over their friends’ children and play with them, but they were happy with how they were.

The children always regarded the two as their ‘Gay Farmer Aunts’, a title that the two took with pride and laughs. Occasionally they were the 'Artsy Aunts', but the GFA was always the primary one when the children regarded the two. 

Peridot managed to reach her dream, she got to work on a few indie video games. They sold very well. Lapis continued to paint and sell her work, she had made a name for herself, however small it may have been, and she was content with that. Sometimes they'd get commissioned to do a piece of art or programming for someone.

They never got intimate with one another, they never laid with one another as one beloved to another. They never needed to. They were in love and that was all that they needed.

 

Their next kiss didn’t come for many years, not until Peridot was on her death bed. Lapis was at her side, held her hands in her own and watched as the woman soundly slept. Her face, once round and smooth had become a home for wrinkles and her blonde hair had grayed, her hands, wrinkly and boney. Always shaking. Even though she was sick and dying, she was as breathtakingly beautiful as the day Lapis first saw her. Through teary eyes, Lapis still saw her beauty and warmth, still saw all of what made her fall in love with Peridot to begin with.

Her heart still swelled with love.

Slowly, Peridot stirred. She saw Lapis and she smiled, her face filled with warmth, joy, a pure, innocent light of untainted love from her. Peridot pushed herself up slightly and wheezed just trying to breathe, her lungs were failing, her body failing. The doctors said there was nothing they could do, that if Peridot had been younger than there could be a chance, but she was too old now. But, that was fine. They got to have a long and happy life together, almost sixty years together. They were fine with their story coming to an end.

Looking into her eyes, they still shined and sparkled just as they had when the two had first met. Peridot didn’t say anything and neither did Lapis who just smiled back. She leaned down and gently, lovingly kissed Peridot.

It was their last kiss. Peridot died just a few days later. Peacefully. Smiling.

All their time together, all the memories they had made, to Lapis it was pure light and brought warmth even on the coldest days. Lapis regarded all their time together fondly as she laid on her own death bed just two years later. Her friends and family surrounded her, telling her how much they loved her and how much she meant to all of them. Lapis nodded and smiled to them all and thought of her beautiful, loving Peridot. She thought of her vivid green eyes and bright smile, her beautiful short hair, how soft it felt whenever she ran her fingers through it, and the way she would just melt in Lapis arms when the latter held her.

Her eyes grew heavy, her breathing grew slower. It was harder to hear her friends, but instead, she was able to hear Peridots laughter more clearly than ever before. A light, beautiful laughter, her name being called. Such genuine happiness in that voice she had always loved.

Lapis thought of her lips on her own that day as she closed her eyes and went to join Peridot, to give her one more kiss.


End file.
